NOTES BY FULL BACK.

Otago Witness, Issue 2488, 20 November 1901, Page 53

NOTES BY FULL BACK.

Playing for Manningham against Keighiey

•'•\ tlie Yorkshire senio competition cxOtago eiack three-quarterback, George Stephenson scored a try in good style. A friend in Dunedin ha 3 kindly handed mo several newspaper cuttings containing the- doings of Otago's wing three-quarter-hack, George Stephenson, who is playing for Manningham in the Yorkshire senior championship. The following extracr-s will be of interest to local footballers : A writer in the Yorkshne Snorts on the

Manningham-Bramley match &ays : "The very latest coinei, Geoige Stephenson, is the most note-worthy. He is through here on a year's holiday, and what could be better than that h- should turn out for the old club once wore? He has been seven years away horn the mother country, in New Zealand, where he has won undying fame in the football field. Ere he left for Home, Mr Stephenson was entertained to dinner by his club m Otago, and there the chairman referred to their departing player as 'Otago' s throe-quarter.' Arrived in IJradfoid. he has boon training assiduously, during the clay time principally, but at the practice early in the week he ran through the othei members of the team in sensational style. . . . A number of small boys went in and out of the crowd will' Lifeboat collection boxea, and apparently met with a generous reception. Bramley took the field fir«t, quickly followed by Maiiningbam. 'Good old Stephenson,' shouted an enthusiast, and the cheer was quickly taken up. Greenwood kicked off, and securing the reply he made

off, passing to Bob Wood, who parted to Stephenson The latter got m las kick. Then Cooper made a good attempt, whilo grand combination between Garnett ancl Step'ienson saw the latter get in hie kick splendidly, and Lorriman almost succeeded in getting through."

Another has the following : "An oventfi'l occasion was that of the encounter between Manningham and Bramley, at Valley Parade. The game of itself was interesting, in that it offered the Valley Parade players am opportunity of showing their quality against old opponents, and, by way jf embellishing detail, the Manningham Brass Band gave a selection of music, Edison's took cinematograph picture of the football play, and amid cheers, Stephenson, the antipodean, made an appearance with old colleagues, after an absence ' down undo; ' of seven years. Stephenson was at once the cynosure of all eyes. He seems somewhat bulky when one compares him with Stephenson of the championship days of Manningham, but he looked very fit and keen to play. He soon had a chance to put in pieces of play, and he did well, playing on the right wing. He showed that he had studied the rules, for, contrary to the usual practice of Rugby Union recruits to the Northern Union, ho did not love touch, and kicked aft-ei running in a way to benefit his men. Stephenson seems to lack confidence in himself as regards the new rules, for he had a ohanco if he had gone, for it was a sprint : but he seemed to feel somewhat of a novice, and went to 20-operate too much with hip colleagues.'

Shaking of the match, Mamungham v. Keighiey. one writer says : "Keighley backs transferred to the twenty-five, but hciv Stephenson secured possession of th" bail and no loss than four men were required to gra^, him. The visitors worked well in the pacK, but from one of these Wood threw to ]?ro\Vn. who got hol'l and pa.- fed to Stephenson, and he rolled over tho line in fine style — [Fancy "Stepay" rolling o-ver the line "in fire =tylo — Ftj.l HA.f£.j

.... The ball was parcel back td Brown, who kicked and iollowod "up close to the line. There were several attempts tc get over on Stephenson's wing, end in the end the efforts were crowned with success. Wood passed to the Maori, who dashed over in the corner. Lorriman made a capital, hut unsuccessful, attempt at ijoa l . Stephenson h'ld not many chanops. but he made no mistakes, and two sprints by him were very serviceable. What appeared to some to be a wild pas<s would have been a good move if Brown had backed him up. Excitement was too deep for pound when one of the visitors was tackffed near the goal line, and scrimmaging followed close in. Gledliill and Wood got tho ball out, but Brown could not continue the passing to Stepheiuon. Then Bob Wood tried a punl for Stephenson's benefit, but Patrick saved by a fine mark on the line. Still the siege was kept up, and again from Wood the< antipodean wing had a chance. He went* foi it for all he wae worth, and crowded through to a. try by sheer force."

Time-table of the Manningham-Keighlej match, played at Valley Parade onHepbeirber2B: — S.ii— Fearnley kicker! c 5 .'3.3S — Lomrn,an kicked a goal. 3.40 — Patrick cleverly touched down. , 3.46 — Sprint by Stephenson. 8.4S — Keighiey in home quarter. 3.52 — Ball in touch Keighlcy goal line. 3.53 — Splendid passing; Lomman scored. 4. o—On0 — On Keighiey line ; Patrick saved. 4. 3 — Sfcephenson scored a try. 4. 6 — Myers kicked dead. 4.lo— Jaeobsou kicked a goal fioni a mark, 4.ll— Restart ; dead ball. 4.l2— Half-time . S to 2. 4.14 — Greenwood restarted. 4. 16— Proctor scrambled over. 4 20 — Jacobson haid lines at goal. 4.2l— Keighiey conceded dead ball. 4.26 — Hardacre gained 50 yards. 4.28 — Lock dropped) pretty goal. 4.3l— Narrow shave for Manningham. 4.40— Jacobson, goal from penalty. 4.43 — Lorriman's good shot; nothing. 4.45 — Holmes all but over. 4.47 — Keighiey persistently pressing. 4.48 — Hardacre tried at goal. 4.3l— Time: 11 to 6. During last week the death was announced of one of Auckland's most famous footba.llt.r3, "Billy" Warbrick, one of the great Warbrick family of footballers (saya the Auckland correspondent of the Press), whose names are household words m the history of our national game. "Billy," whose death had been expected for tome little lime, was next to his brother "Joe," the bp?t footballer of <he five Warbrick*. In the early eighties he learnt his football at St. Stephen's Native School, Parnell. He afterwards played with North Shore senior fifteen, and after that assisted the old Grafton Club when Cup matches were played. At this timt he played in tho three-quarter-line, becoming a full-back later. In 1888 he went Home with the famous New Zealand Native teani. In 1891 he left for Australia, and remaine-d there until quite recently, aud represented Queensland as wo-11 as New South Wales. The deceased footballer was a strong, dashing three-quarter and a splendid full-baok. extremely difficult to pass. He represented Auckland in 1886 and 1889. He returned to Auckland a month a-qo, and died at his brother's home at Galatea, near Rotorua.

Warbrick left Sydney three or four week? back (says Sydney Referee), and died at the residence of his brother in his thirtyS'xth year. "Billy" Warbrick was a member of the famous Maori t-eam that toured Australia and F,n?land in 1888. He was a great player, and know the game so thomughly that no man in Australia could match him as captain or get such remarkable result? out of a team of moderate olayers. For a few year* ho settled in Brisbane, and played for Queensland. It was he who led the fifteen of the norfiicrn colny to victory in the two Sydney matches of 1892, the only year of Queensland winning tho double here. Subsequently residing in Sydney, he established himself as the propriotci of the baths at Neutral Bay. But within the last thres or four years his health began to fail, and consumption has carried hin> off. As a player he WA3 good in any position, from full-back to half; as captain lie v a=i a splendid tactician, and as a sport"

lie took and gave a fall with Uie best of them. It i.; sad to see a man who peiforniod on the athlptic field us "Billy" Wa - brick did succumb v lisle still a vmn~ ivp-'i.

It i* said that a well-known Waitekauri resident Imb come into a fortune of £100,000 by the <'cath of a brother beyond seas According to the Japan Advertiser, a band cf Mormon mi^iomuic m Yokohama ha' o concluded that Japan offers an unfruitful field for enlerpihe, and ha^e abandoned.'' their plans.